Back in October, a dozen Labour MPs joined a cross-party campaign for a levy on the nation’s “extreme wealth”.

Politicians joined the likes of former shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, and former leader, Jeremy Corbyn, now an independent MP, in demanding a 2pc tax on those with assets worth more than £10m.

However, when contacted by The Telegraph, one of the MPs who backed the campaign scoffed at the idea of using its proceeds to fund war.

Brian Leishman, a Labour MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, said: “I am absolutely in favour of a wealth tax, but I would want to see it put towards vital public services, the NHS and education. I wouldn’t necessarily support it being used for defence, but they’ve got to invest in people and communities rather than bombs.

“To borrow the Tony Benn comment, if there’s money to afford to kill people, there’s got to be money to help people. I think we should be spending money on other things as opposed to bombs and guns.”

Prior to last year’s general election, the party specifically ruled out imposing a wealth tax.

However, previous national emergencies such as the Covid-19 pandemic have seen governments tear up campaign promises. Should a new crisis emerge around defence, it is possible this could happen again.